Movie Round-Up #1

These are the films I’ve been watching in the last week or so:

Reincarnation (2005/Japan)

I was looking forward to this one as a fan of the director’s previous films (Ju-On:the Grudge and Marebito). The plot revolves around the filming of a movie about a mass murderer which creates a clever alternative reality within the film. This combined with the flashbacks to the original events means there is an unsettling shifting between 3 separate planes of reality which is done to great effect.

I was initially disappointed as it seemed to be spelling out the plot a bit much and half way through you feel like everything’s pretty much cut and dried. How wrong I was, as the film builds to a satisfying finale to what is a superior horror.

The Relic (1996/USA)

Pretty much your run-of-the-mill Hollywood sci-fi thriller. You know what you’re going to get and it delivers exactly that, no more, no less.

Vacancy (2007/USA)

I was expecting this to be another typical Hollywood horror and the first half an hour or so did little to sway me from that belief with minimal plot progression and the lead characters annoying the hell out of me. However, the remaining hour was tense and brutal, in what turned out to be a very enjoyable and surprisingly dark film.

The Simpsons Movie (2007/USA)

I haven’t been a fan of the Simpsons for a few years now and didn’t expect this to be any better than the mundane recent series. Shockingly it was far, far worse. There was barely a gag contained within that would’ve made it into any of the worst episodes of the series. Everything about this was completely mundane and compared to its contemporaries, Shrek and the like, it just doesn’t stand up. The most cynical piece of franchise exploitation for a long time.

Paradise Lost (AKA Turistas) (2007/USA)

Teen horror that borrows from Hostel but ends up being a bit more like The Descent. Average slasher that will satisfy fans of the genre but few else.

Man Utd 1 - 0 Spurs

A tenacious Spurs were unfortunate not to come away with something against a blunt looking Man Utd in a performance that was hardly befitting of the champions.

It was an anxious opening period for the hosts as Spurs started on the front foot with Keane hitting the bar in the first minute.

It took 11mins for Man Utd to have some meaningful possession, Scholes started seeking space in “the hole” between midfield and attack to orchestrate an unusually flustered Untied.

Berbatov too was dropping off to receive the ball and looked far more energetic than in previous performances this season. He got his chance after 20mins, catching Ferdinand napping to slip in behind the defence only for Vidic’s last-ditch block to deny the Bulgarian.

This seemed to spark United into life and they began knocking the ball around with a lot more purpose. Their attacks lacked a focal point, however, with Tevez looking to create chances rather than finish them. His tame long range effort on 32mins the epitome of his side’s lack of penetration.

Spurs weren’t making it easy for them though as they, rather uncharacteristically, closed down sharply in midfield and denied United space. United showed their pedigree for passing and movement for the remainder of the first half but it was all played in front of Spurs. The only shot on target in the first half coming from Rio Ferdinand forcing a decent save from Robinson.

Tottenham would’ve expected to have more of a storm to weather after the break but it was Spurs themselves who came closest to breaking the deadlock on 56mins as Rocha rose unchallenged to meet a well-struck free-kick from Garreth Bale only to head wide.

Spurs continued with some good spells of possession and on 63mins Berbatov saw his shot roll past Van DerSaar only for Ferdinand to clear off the line. 2 minutes later Berbatov had beaten the United keeper again, this Brown was on hand to block (with what may or may not have been an arm)

Man U responded immediately and it was Spurs’ turn to clear off the line as Jenas denied Tevez. But moments later, on 68mins, it was one nil, Nani’s shot from well outside the box had too much power and swerve for Robinson to get more than a finger-tip to.

United looked happy to defend their lead when on 77mins Tevez was withdrawn to be replaced by a midfielder in the shape of Fletcher.

Spurs came closest to an equaliser a minute later, Berbatov with a fantastic turn and half-volleyed shot which wasn’t far over. They continued to have most of the play for the closing 10mins or so but they failed to create anything of significance as United shut up shop.

Man of the Match: Garreth Bale - Got forward well and delivered excellent set-pieces

Sunderland 0 - 2 Liverpool

Liverpool rarely had to slip out of first gear as they out-classed a creatively bereft Sunderland.

One might easily have expected Sunderland’s doggedness to be the main feature of this match and for the opening quarter it certainly looked that way. They stifled Liverpool in midfield forcing them in to an ineffective long-ball game.

Although Liverpool’s first chance came after just 20 seconds, Voronin latching on to a nervous-looking back pass only to be quickly closed down by Gordon who blocked the Ukranian’s shot.

It took 24 minutes to pass before another chance on goal. Stokes getting himself on the end of a Chopra though-ball but scuffing his shot at Reina. This typified Sunderland going forward as the opportunity came from an interception high up the field rather than any genuinely incisive build-up play.

Liverpool had been edging their way into the game, gradually finding more room when on 37mins Voronin teed up Sissoko for a 25-yard rocket into the bottom left-hand corner or Gordon’s goal. Sunderland failed to find a Plan:B for the remainder of the first half. Liverpool dominated possession seeing Torres coming close with a diving header just before the break.

Sunderland started the second half bright but it took just 5minutes for them to be split open. Torres used his pace to ghost past 2 Sunderland defenders only to shoot straight at Gordon.

A drained Dwight Yorke summed up his side as he was withdrawn on the hour having spent the previous 15 minutes conceding possession and generally looking out of place at this level.

Liverpool looked comfortable as Sunderland failed to threaten relying on set-pieces to give their fans any hope of an equaliser. Stokes ambitious long-range effort the closest they came.

The Merseysider’s never really pressed for a second, rarely supporting their two hard-working forwards but on 86mins Voronin got a reward for his efforts. He turned Nosworthy in the box to flash a shot past Gordon to make it two nil.

Neither team really impressed over the 90mins with Liverpool playing within themselves against a poor Sunderland team.

Man of the Match: Andriy Voronin – worked tirelessly, without support for long periods, and was Liverpool’s main goal threat.

Nodame Cantabile

This is the first anime I’ve watched that hasn’t had some sort of Sci-Fi / Fantasy overtones (no giant robots, no ninjas, no alchemy and oddly enough no psychic powers either!) and it came as a breath of fresh air.

It’s basically a romantic comedy (or “shoujo” = for girls) which would normally be a genre I’d avoid like the plague, as they’re usually formulaic nonsense, but this managed to catch my interest and maintain it thanks to the ever-developing characters and it’s really quirky sense of humour.

The story revolves around an archetypal odd couple (Chiaki – the straight-laced, frustrated genius, and Nodame – the carefree slob) and their undefined platonic relationship. They are both students at a music academy but have vastly different attitudes to their studies, practice and their future careers. These conflicting outlooks are what drives the series and as the characters grow they learn to appreciate both sides of the coin. The supporting characters, although not as superbly realised, act as a brilliant chorus (if you’ll excuse the pun) to the leads, echoing their sentiments and fleshing-out the themes of effort and reward, overcoming obstacles and, ultimately, self-fulfilment. The daunting approach of adult life as experienced by the students is handled superbly with each characters’ reflections and asides proving touching and universal.

The background of a life dedicated to music has quite a bearing on proceedings with each episode containing long passages of unbroken classical music depicting the protagonists rehearsing and performing. As a lover of classical music this was a real highlight of the show especially as you can hear the musicians gradually progress with varying renditions of the same pieces.

The humour of the show gains your affection almost immediately, from the odd-ball nature of Nodame to the, slightly surreal, slapstick interactions between her and Chiaki. Like all good anime the comedy doesn’t hog centre-stage and acts as an excellent foil to the more serious nature of the show.

Simply put, my favourite anime of 2007 and the type of series you could recommend to anyone (could easily pique their interest in Mozart, Brahms etc. too!)

Denmark 0 - 4 Rep. of Ireland

Ireland’s precision in front of goal left Denmark licking their wounds following a workman-like performance.

It began well for the Danes which saw them producing several chances in a one-sided opening period. Bendtner coming closest, heading against the bar after 12mins. Ireland looked sluggish and it was against the run of play when Andy Reid’s excellent through ball found Robbie Keane for Ireland’s opener on 29mins. A classy, chipped finish left Danish keeper Christiensen with no chance.

Ireland began passing the ball better as Denmark continued to plug away and get physical in a slow-tempoed first half. The second goal came on 40mins and like Ireland’s first it came out of the blue. McGeady did well down the right, sending in a great ball for Keane to meet at the front post. Fortune favoured Keane as his diving header came back off the keeper only to rebound off Keane’s shoulder and find the back of the net.

Several changes at half time and early in the second half did little to change the course of the game. Steve Staunton chose to blood another two promising youngsters, Keogh and Gibson, with Potter having started the game. All three did well, especially considering the physical nature of the Danish play, with Potter’s range of passing the highlight.

It didn’t take long for Ireland to add to their lead. On 54mins Long, on for Doyle, slotted home when Christiensen could only parry a long-range effort from Gibson. 12 minutes later Long had his second and Ireland’s fourth after finding ample room amongst the Danish defenders to easily finish.

The remaining half-hour saw Ireland sit back and but for some poor finishing Denmark would have had a consolation. Dunne too, on more than one occasion, was called into action to save Ireland from being punished for taking their foot off the gas.

All in all Ireland had their share of luck and in the end the scoreline was harsh on the embarrassed Danes.

Man of the Match: Robbie Keane – lead by example often helping out in midfield and defence. Ireland missed his leadership in the last half hour

Wigan 1 - 0 Middlesborough

These two teams are tipped by many to struggle this season and they did little to suggest otherwise in this scrappy match. Neither team were exactly prolific last term and were looking to their recent signings to provide something in the attacking third.

It was a bitty first half with neither team able to stamp their authority on the game with the constant niggly fouls led to a very stop-start affair. It was two of the newcomers who saw most of the ball. Koumas came closest to scoring with a free-kick only to see Schwarzer push it round the post. Tuncay, playing wide on the right for Boro, got into some great positions but failed to capitalise, shooting wildly on 2 two occasions. Both sets of forwards were largely uninvolved as they watched their team-mates scurry about unable to supply a telling pass.

The second half began with Wigan upping their work-rate and taking the game to Middlesborough. It was typically scrappy goal which broke the deadlock after 54mins with Sibierski bundling home Valencia's parried shot.
Boro responded well. Downings shot from the edge of the box rebounding off Kirkland's near post the best they could muster in what was to be a short-lived spell of pressure. Wigan weathered the storm and continued to battle against a frustrated looking Boro. The ineffective Yakubu was replaced by Lee after 65mins (leaving questions regrding his £10m+ price tag!) but it was to no avail as it was Wigan who looked the more likely to score for the remainder of the match.

It certainly wasn't a dull 2nd half as the tempo was high throughout but it definitely wasn't one for the purists.

Man of the MAtch : Jason Koumas - looked desperate to prove himself at this level and carried Wigans attack for most of the game

Spurs 1 - 3 Everton

Three goals in an end-to-end first half gave a typically hardworking Everton a victory which sends them top of the league. It took only 2 minutes before Joleon Lescott headed home an Arteta free-kick to give Everton the lead.

Spurs responded well however and soon dominated the game leaving Everton to feed on scraps on the break as the tempo of the game became increasingly hectic. Robbie Keane gave Spurs the width they missed on Saturday, playing energetically down the right hand side. 25 minutes in Spurs’ pressure earned them an equaliser in the shape of Anthony Gardner’s headed finish from Jenas’ corner.

One could easily have expected the home side to go on and build from there but Everton were the team in the ascendancy for the remainder of the half. Mikel Arteta controlled the play masterfully earning several free kicks form an increasingly frustrated Spurs. It was his right-footed cross into the box which lead to Everton taking the lead again on 36 minutes. Leon Osman controlled Rocha’s clearance and finished well past a floundering Paul Robinson.

Spurs never really got going again from there on in and were two behind in fist-half injury time. Alan Stubbs smashing a free kick in from 25 yards with the aid of a deflection that left the Spurs keeper wrong-footed.

The second-half had less of an FA Cup tie feel to it with Everton happy to sit back and soak up the pressure. Spurs made it easy for them however, adopting a diamond midfield which meant Everton went man-to-man in the middle of the park. Spurs did offer some hope to their fans with a lively opening 5 minutes with Keane making Howard stretch and Berbatov hitting the post with an excellent header.

Only some good goalkeeping at both ends kept the second half scoreless but Spurs never really got the bit between their teeth. Their frontline of Bent/Defoe, Berbatov and Keane never had the mobility or the ingenuity to unlock a solid Everton defence. With the likes of Osman, Arteta and Johnson, Everton probed on the counter-attack and didn’t allow Spurs to get on the front foot.

Overall, Everton were their usual robust selves and with the aid of a bit of luck got a deserved win over a poor Spurs whose fans must be desperate for the return of their injured stars.

Man of the Match:Andy Johnson – A constant threat on the break offering Everton an outlet to build from

Sunderland 1 - 0 Spurs

It was looking like it was going to be honours even until the 94th minute, and really a draw would've been a fair result, but second-half substitute Michael Chopra gave Sunderland an undeserved win.

We can't learn much about Roy Keane's Sunderland from this display. Spurs were poor and although they dominated the match for long periods they never looked sharp or dangerous. Sunderland looked competent in defence but were never really tested. Paul McShane looks like a dominating figure at the back but could definitely do woth working on his first touch. He miscontrolled badly on a few occasions which could be disaterous if he makes a habit of it.

Up front for Sunderland the two Irishmen, Stokes and Murphy, lacked mobility and didn't look match sharp. When Sunderland were up against it they failed to hold the ball up and relieve the pressure. It was no surpise to see Stokes withdrawn after 70 mins and his replacement, Chopra, was far more efficient in possession.

Spurs frontline was none too inspiring also. All 4 of Martin Jol's strikers were used with Keane and Bent the two who looked closest to being 100% match-ready. They really missed the width offered by Lennon with his replacement, Tainio, preferring to tuck inside. Malbranque on the left also failed to get near the touchline regularly. This narrow approach played into the hands of a tight, well drilled Sunderland.

Spurs defence was missing 3 first teamers and looked easily exposed on a few occasions. Murphy found himself in space at the back post after 40mins as the Spurs defence slept but he failed to convert what was the only real chance of the first half. Etuhu found himself on the end of a free kick(probably the only set-piece that wasn't squandered by Sunderland) only to "thigh it" for Robinson to save. The warning signs were there and sure enough 93mins in the ball found its way to Chopra in the box after good work form Wallace on the right, and he clinically tucked it away.

All in all a poor match with both teams needing to improve several areas of their respective games.

Man of the MAtch: Paul McShane - kept Berbatov and then Bent under control and won everything in the air.

Gundam ZZ

I’ve read alot of people finding it quite tough to get through Gundam ZZ and giving up a few episodes in. I can’t blame them. The first 20 or so episodes are absolute guff depicting a gang of irritatingly smug delinquents getting into all sorts of slapstick scrapes and japes, yawn.

However, if you persevere, the second half of the series is surprisingly decent. There’s an incredibly abrupt change of tone roughly about half way as the series gets a lot darker and a proper conflict ensues.

After the bizarre ending to Zeta this takes up where it left off in regards expanding the newtype’s psychic abilities. They seem to be getting closer and closer to becoming Jedi clones with many an uttering of “I can sense his/her presence”, etc. Unfortunately this is about all the development the characters undergo. In previous series (0079 and Zeta) there is a gradual maturing of the characters as events unfold but in ZZ the supporting characters seem to acquire ESP and the ability to pilot a mobile suit overnight.

The Neo Zeon characters really steal the show especially the completely bonkers Chara Soon who adds a new dimension to the typical unstable newtype.

The action is fairly decent with the introduction of several tasty new mobile suits(as you would probably expect). There are a couple of standout moments (most notably the [spoiler=]colony drop[/spoiler] on Dublin of all places!) that are typical of Gundam at its best. The final battle isn’t as expansive as the previous two but still acts as a reasonable closer to the series.

Overall this is probably only for Gundam completists. Anyone else would be best off checking out Zeta or Stardust Memories if they’re looking for something to complement the original series/movies.

On a personal note - I was disappointed that [spoiler=] Char didn’t make an appearance [/spoiler] :(